India’s opening conundrum – Is Vijay the right choice?

Murali Vijay

The Indian squad has been announced for the upcoming tour to South Africa, which has seen a lot of off-field turmoil even before it got underway. Allegations and counter-allegations have flown back and forth between the concerned parties, so it is a wonder that the African safari is actually happening.

As far as possible, the players have kept themselves away from the entire hullabaloo of the drama that has unfolded in recent times. However, the selections have raised quite a few eyebrows in some departments, especially in the area of batting. More specifically, questions have been directed towards the opening slot.

Delhi batsman Shikhar Dhawan has been fairly consistent in the longer format, so there are no complaints for the first opener’s position. It is the second one which is baffling, especially because the one chosen for that particular role, Chennai’s Murali Vijay, has been woefully short of runs in the Test arena. Add in the fearsome pace trio of Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel and Vernon Philander, bouncy tracks, and you begin to see why the fears of the cricket-loving public are legitimate.

Vijay is a capable batsman, and has done reasonably well since his much-awaited Test debut. But he has had more than just his fair share of struggles in recent times. When he went to the African shores in August this year with the ‘A’ team, he made only 4 and 0 in both innings of the second unofficial Test against the home side. He has faced extreme difficulties in negotiating the short ball, and because he pre-dominantly plays on the front foot, the chin music has resulted in his downfall quite a few times.

Like the out-of-favour Indian opener Virender Sehwag, the TN lad has decided to play a few Ranji games ahead of the gruelling tour. It hasn’t been the best of starts for him there as well – he was dismissed for a duck in the first essay and made 38 in the second. This isn’t the kind of performance you’d expect from an international player who will face one of the most hostile bowling attacks in the world at the moment in less than a month.

Given these facts, should the selectors really have picked him for another trip to the African continent? Is there a safer bet than Vijay at the moment?

Ajinkya Rahane

There could be. Not one, but two. I am, of course, referring to Ajinkya Rahane and Gautam Gambhir.

Let me focus on the Mumbai player first. Rahane comes from the same school that has churned out world-class players such as the iconic Sachin Tendulkar, Sunil Gavaskar, and many others. He can switch from offense to defence as per the situation, and has shown flashes of handling the short ball very well. Swing, seam and spin – everything comes alike to him once he gets his eye in. At the top of the order, Jinks can be the perfect foil for the rapid-scoring Dhawan; if the southpaw goes into a shell, the 25-year old can immediately take charge.

Lack of experience at the highest level is the key factor to weaken Rahane’s case. He has only played one Test match so far (against Australia) and didn’t get too many runs under his belt. Despite a modestly successful outing against South Africa ‘A’ in August, the right-hander hasn’t had the amount of exposure he rightly deserves. On a lively track in Lahli, when the likes of Tendulkar flopped against Haryana’s bowling, Rahane scored a half-century and followed it up with a forty-odd score in the second innings. This shows that he can hold his own against Steyn and co. in his own solid way. It is certainly not unwise to consider pairing him with Dhawan, especially since the middle-order is difficult to break into.

Then again, it comes down to what Dhoni thinks, and perhaps for that reason alone, Rahane may just miss out. A bit unfair on the young man, but such are the vagaries of Indian cricket.

Gautam Gambhir

No one understands the nuances of the Indian cricketing circus better than Gautam Gambhir. Post the 2011 World Cup, he has been one of its high-profile casualties.

In his quest to re-discover his previous form and consistency, he spent time at Essex to work on his technical deficiencies. His chief weakness against pace is the tendency to get too far across when playing incoming deliveries; either he ends up losing his stumps or is trapped in front of them. Also, he still has the irritating habit of playing away from his body, resulting in thick edges that are safely snapped up by the close-in catchers. He hasn’t quite mastered the hook shot completely, which is a worrying sign because the quicker bowlers will target his rib-cage.

Even so, Gauti is a slightly better choice than Vijay. If Dhoni wants to do the unthinkable and get two left-handers to open the innings, then the KKR skipper should be fast-tracked into the squad without further delay. He made two centuries recently – the last one against Haryana- and has averaged around 74 in the on-going Ranji season. Despite all this, he has not only been dumped out of the side, but also suffered the ignominy of being demoted to a Grade B contract.

On the strength of experience alone, it is Gambhir who must take the second opener’s slot. As India prepares for life after Sachin, it would be more prudent to go in for a seasoned veteran than a complete rookie or a blow-hot, blow-cold player. If it is still youth first, then Rahane deserves a shot. In either case, Vijay’s absence might actually benefit the team, and give him a much-needed break in order to rejuvenate himself for the longer road ahead.

Until then, like any Indian fan, I will just bide my time and keep my fingers crossed.